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Nick
Nicolas (more commonly known as Nick) is one of the four playable Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2. He is a gambler and a con artist with a shady―even violent―past. He seems reluctant to be a part of the group at all and takes the role of "the complainer," finding fault in other people's plans, the increasingly sorry state of his once-fine suit and his teammates' character flaws, as he judges them. This makes him difficult for the others to get along with at first, but that changes as time goes by, as he learns to trust them and proves himself a valuable part of the team. Nick wears a white suit and blue shirt he claims is worth $3,000'Nick': "Are you really gonna shoot the guy in a $3,000 suit? COME ON!". He has multiple rings on his fingers, one of which bears a symbol belonging to a gang. It can be gathered from his appearance that he is a ladies' man as he has lipstick smudged on his collar as well as a love bite, or hickey, on his neck. It is mentioned on multiple occasions that he was previously married; if Nick hears a Witch, he may say "I think I hear my ex-wife", and in Hard Rain, he may say "The last time I saw this many crying women was at my wedding." He appears to have some trouble with the law as during the Dead Center campaign, upon finding a Tier 2 gun, Nick may say that he is not legally allowed to own a gun. Given that Nick appears to be an American citizen and thus covered by the Second Amendment, this likely means that he is a convicted felon, who are not legally allowed to own or carry guns. Nick's facial features are modeled after Taymour Ghazi and he is voiced by Hugh Dillon. Official Description Personality Nick's sarcasm, pessimism, and self-centered cynicism arguably make him the most antagonistic character, or anti-hero, in the series. Almost everyone he meets quickly picks up on these attributes and takes a wary or active dislike to him. His general attitude makes Nick either the group's older brother, or wiseguy uncle. Nick's autonomous personality makes him reluctant to integrate fully with the group. In Dead Center, he either tells the others not to bother remembering his name as he does not intend to stay with them long, or forgoes mentioning his name when asked. Nick is also quite abrasive when talking and is not hesitant to insult others, especially if they cause misdemeanor on him. This is most likely a result from his past as a con artist. Strong hints of a violent, criminal past surface when, for example, he says it is illegal for him to have a firearm; is an expert with first aid kits''Nick: "Don't worry, I've done this before" ; and when badly hurt, he blurts out, "Man... it's been a long time... since I felt this bad." Nick speaks with a Boston wiseguy accent, an attribute that accentuates perceptions of a shady past and a personality impregnated with a capacity for violence. Nick also possesses a body of gruesome knowledge that he hints at from time to time—including the relative ease and difficulty of getting brains out of suits and blood out of wedding dresses—both of which he suffixes with the line "Don't ask me how I know that."'Nick': "Shit! This swamp water's gonna ruin my white suit." '''Rochelle': laughs "The white suit with zombie brains all over it? That one?" Nick: "Brains come out; swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that." Coach: "Hell, sometimes it's best not to find out what you don't know." Nevertheless, as the game progresses and Nick comes to experience his teammates' abilities and to share their common dangers and dire circumstances, his stance towards them seems to thaw. Although he never quite loses his self-contained and me-first attitude, there are cues that he is not as callous as he appears on first impression. Nick appears to be very high-maintenance when it comes to his appearance. He often complains about his suit getting ruined, and balks at having to travel through dirty or unsanitary places. Nick believes that the Green Flu outbreak could have been prevented if the world used some more hand sanitizer'Nick': "Coach, a germ just wiped out the whole planet." / "Yeah, ha-ha-ha. A little more hand sanitizer and we wouldn't be in this mess." and gripes about going through the Rayford Historic Underground Tour or the sewers in The Parish, something which Coach and even Rochelle tease him about. When the Survivors go through the sewers beyond the tour, Nick may complain about the unsanitary conditions of the sewers or will offer the other Survivors $1,000 to piggyback ride him over the sewer water, making the other Survivors mock him for it. Relationships with other Survivors * Coach *:Nick and Coach seem to live to trade jabs with one another (much like Francis and Bill). Nick is not afraid to insult Coach and make fun of his weight, but will also not hesitate to compliment him when he succeeds in killing a Special Infected. He seems to respect Coach's status as the group leader, even though he's often the first to voice doubts about any of Coach's proposed courses of action (although this is probably just Nick's propensity to complain about everything; when the Concert finale ends and the helicopter arrives, Nick may express his gratitude liberally to Coach'Nick': "Coach, this worked, I love you!" / "I love you, Coach!"). *:Nick recoils quickly when he has clearly annoyed Coach, and Coach is quick to shut Nick down if his complaints get close to the line. Their antagonism stops at words, as neither one ever looks likely to abandon the other. When Nick mourns for Coach, he will sadly say "You were a hell of a man, Coach," or "I'll miss ya." Another mourning line—"Goddammit, Coach, what did you leave me with…?"—shows that, despite their attitude, Nick acknowledges Coach's leadership in the group. *: In the safe room at the beginning of the Fairgrounds, when Coach mentions The Midnight Riders, Nick may respond asking if they were any good.Coach: "Hey! The Midnight Riders! I used to love that band!" Nick: "Never heard of them. They any good?" This is one of the first rare instances of Nick seemingly attempting to get to know his fellow teammates. * Ellis *:In earlier campaigns, Nick looks down on Ellis and shows his contempt by constantly mocking everything about him, often implying that Ellis is a stereotypical hillbilly. He might say Ellis's name in an exaggerated Southern accent, and sometimes calls Ellis "Overalls", a name he's also known to give the Charger. At an extreme, in The Passing, his displeasure at Ellis's obsession with the Jimmy Gibbs stock car flares and Nick outright threatens to leave him behind.Nick: "Look, I don't have a problem leaving the car—''and'' you—behind. Okay, Ellis?" *:However, as the campaigns progress and Ellis proves himself, his respect for the boy does increase and he becomes less caustic. For example, at the start of Dark Carnival, Nick will either give Ellis a rare compliment'Nick': "Don't sweat it, Ellis, at least you got us out of that mall." or poke fun at him in a more harmless manner by deliberately cursing his idol.Nick: "Goddamn you, Jimmy Gibbs, Jr.!" *:Ellis, on his part, doesn't seem too fazed by Nick's ribbing and takes it mostly in his stride. Nick may tend to capitalize on their age gap when speaking to Ellis (his nicknames include "kid", "sport", "champ"[When Nick helps Ellis get up from being incapacitated] Nick: "Come on, champ. Let's get you on your feet, you'll be okay.", "fireball"[When Nick helps Ellis get up from being incapacitated] Nick: "Easy there, Fireball.", and "killer"[When Ellis gives Nick first aid, pills, or adrenaline] Nick: "Thanks, killer."), but there are times he treats him like a peer (e.g. a Nick player can vocalize varying tones of "Dude" at Ellis.) Nick also humours Ellis almost despite himself, most notably in Dark Carnival. Ellis's excitement about rides in Whispering Oaks may prompt him to say "Now I wanna ride one" (although this is likely sarcasm) and Nick joins in with the "of love" gag in the Tunnel of Love. They also find common ground with hating the Infected — one case being the Mudmen from Swamp Fever.Ellis: "Yo, I got a new thing I hate: mud people." Nick: "I'm with Ellis, I hate these mud people." * Rochelle *:Initially, Nick would address Rochelle in a patronizing way, sarcastically using endearments like "sweetie", "sweetheart", and "honey". However, Rochelle's sensible attitude, level-headed view of their situation, and her own brand of sarcasm right back at him earns her Nick's respect and liking almost immediately. She is the one character he will not threaten with violence if she accidentally shoots him, instead telling her firmly to stop.Nick: "Ro! Just — Just stop, alright?" Like with Coach, Nick's interaction with Rochelle consists of trading banter.[Possible conversation in the safe room at the start of The Underground] Rochelle: "Compared to you, Nick, he was downright nice." Nick: "Go to hell." [In the sewers of the The Underground]Rochelle: "Hey, Nick. Splash fight?" Nick: "Don't you dare!" After Francis takes a liking to Rochelle and she seems to show signs of reciprocating, Nick is quick to tease her, telling her not to play hard to get and encouraging her to go for it, seeing as she "isn't getting any younger". *:Generally, Nick and Rochelle get along. Sometimes, when Nick mourns for Rochelle, he will say, "I can think of two other people I would have rather seen go first" or "So much for repopulating the Earth". They share similar realistic perspectives of the apocalypse situation, which will result in certain conversations in which Rochelle takes Nick's side, such as defending his shooting the Infected helicopter pilot in Swamp Fever. But her patience with him does wear thin at times; in The Passing, she goes as far as saying that she hates him when Nick mocks Ellis's crush on Zoey one too many times. Still, the two seem to have more in common than with the others; they are both not from Georgia (Rochelle is from Cleveland, Ohio; Nick never says where he's from but his accent and the places he mentions imply he is from somewhere in the North), they use sarcasm freely, and as Survivor Bots they have similar taste in weaponry (Assault Rifle variants). They stand next to each other in all of the campaign posters (with the exception of Dead Center). * Francis *:Nick and Francis instantly dislike each other. At the start of The Riverbank, if Francis is present, he refers to him as a "greasy vest-wearing monkey" while Francis calls him "Suit" or "Colonel Sanders". Notably, in one statement, Nick will "articulate" and slowly speak while cursing as if he was insulting him. During The Passing, Nick will refer to their mission as to "lower the bridge and kick the biker's ass," and will sometimes try to get Ellis to help him, by telling him that "He probably took Jimmy Gibbs Jr. and is driving away right now." Nick also shows a great distrust of Francis, believing he will not keep his word to lower the bridge."That biker guy better still be here." Later on, they may exchange more insults when they meet again. However, during their alliance against the horde of infected at the finale, when Francis throws pain pills/adrenaline shots like the other original survivors do, and then Nick grabs it, Nick may thank Francis for it, and Nick may "compliment" Francis, saying "Why does it not surprise me you're good with a gun" when Francis kills a special infected, and at the end, Nick is close to thanking Francis for lowering the bridge and may sometimes express concern for the trio''"You three take care of yourself...and thanks.". If Francis mentions losing a man, Nick may apologize for their loss. * 'Zoey' *:Like Francis, Nick and Zoey dislike each other from their very first meeting. Nick is to blame by insulting and patronizing her, calling her "cupcake" and asking if there is a "man" up there they can talk to. Not surprisingly, Zoey responds in kind to Nick's uncalled-for boorishness."Boo hoo, I don't know what to do… Go to hell, Colonel Sanders!"'' She even threatens to hurt or kill him''"I could shoot you where you stand.", causing Nick to back down and say that he was merely joking"Would you lighten up? …Man, nobody can take a joke anymore…". Zoey, like Francis, disparagingly refers to Nick as "Colonel Sanders", on account of his white suit. *:Nick teases Ellis mercilessly for his crush on Zoey, even going so far as suggest he Nick is the better man to look after Zoey's physical needs and that Ellis should get Zoey's name tattooed on his butt."Ellis, did you get that girl's name? 'Cause I can tattoo it on your ass. She'll like that."'' When they meet up again in the finale of The Port, Zoey is the most reluctant to help Nick, but supports him along with the others once the finale commences. * Louis *:Nick seems to have a dismissive attitude about Louis, which the latter notices."Fine sure, you need to go fill it up with the gas cans. Good luck to you, even if you are acting like that." Because of this, Nick is the only Survivor Louis dislikes and the latter will occasionally agree with Francis, saying he is right the cold shoulder and thinks Bill would've shot Nick by that time. Nick is also the only Survivor Louis does not wish good luck to at the end of The Passing. However, Nick seems to appreciate Louis' shooting skills, and offers to leave Ellis behind so that Louis can come along to New Orleans. At the end, Louis moderates his dislike for Nick, even if he still does not remember his name. Nick will eventually apologize to the original Survivors for his rude behavior, which they acknowledge by warning him about incoming Infected, helping him and the other Survivors out, and bidding them all farewell when they depart for New Orleans. Quotes See: Nick/Quotes Behind the Scenes * In the commentary for Left 4 Dead 2, the developers state that Nick's character was originally an escaped prisoner that stole a nice suit, but he was eventually adapted into his current con-man persona. It is probable that he is still a convicted felon, as Nick can make a remark to the effect that he's not legally allowed to own firearms ― a constitutional right Americans only lose if convicted of a felony or some misdemeanors involving a weapon. ** This is supported by the fact that when in The Swamp, Nick may sometimes state that brains come out of a suit but swamp water doesn't, and then tells the others to not ask him how he knows that. ** Also supporting this is when approaching the wedding area on The Riverbank, he may state "This brings back some bad memories," or that "it's not easy to get blood out of a wedding dress", which hints at some violent incident on his wedding day. ** In The Hotel, he also says sometimes when healing another Survivor "Hold still, I've done this before", suggesting that Nick someday took a part in gunfight and then had to help either himself or someone else. ** Other quotes such as when he revives Survivors in a non-chaotic time he may say "Relax, I've seen worse.", supporting the above quote. ** Sometimes when Nick picks up a baseball bat, he will state it brings back some good memories. When asked by Coach if he played ball, Nick will respond with "bouncer at a nightclub", indicating he beat on a bouncer at a nightclub with a bat (which may have resulted in a felony charge that lost him his right to carry a firearm), or was a bouncer himself. *** A similar event occurs if he picks up a crowbar, stating "This feels good.", suggesting that he had unlawfully entered a residental and/or commercial building. * Nick is the only current Survivor who retained his appearance from either beta screenshots or trailers out of all the playable Survivors in Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. ** The only difference between the stages is his clothes were given some dirt and hints of blood. * After hearing the sound of a Witch crying, Nick will sometimes say "sounds like my Ex-Wife." implying he was once married. Notes * All of Nick's new lines in The Passing are Francis's gray color with captions on, much like Louis and Zoey's new lines in Crash Course. * Until January 18, 2013, Nick was the only new Survivor capable of properly naming ammo piles as ammo, rather than as weapons or guns like the rest of Survivors. After said update, they all now refer to the piles properly. ** However, this issue still exists on the 360 version. * In the Zombie Survival Guide trailer, Nick is seen wielding weapons in either his left or right hands at different times, possibly meaning he is ambidextrous. * In the Zombie Survival Guide trailer, he never holds a Tier 2 weapon. He is only, briefly, seen with a Silenced Submachine Gun when fighting a Tank on The Bridge. * Nick bears the same symbol on a ring of his as Francis has on one of his tattoos (seen to the right). * When a Tank attacks in Dead Center, Nick will sometimes say that perhaps if they do not move, the Tank will not notice them, or "we have a problem." This is possibly referencing a scene from the 1993 movie Jurassic Park. * Nick may be from the North, as he one of his quotes says that "Why couldn't I have been in Vegas when the Infection hit? Or Atlantic City? Instead, I am trapped in some hillbilly Tunnel of Love", and is always sarcastic to Ellis. * If a Hunter pounces Rochelle during the first two chapters of Dead Center, Nick may say "Get that zombie off him!", even though Rochelle is a woman. * During the first two chapters of Dead Center, Nick may occasionally say "One of those little Jockey bastards is around.", even though like all the other Survivors, refer to the Special Infected with nicknames. This implies one of three things: that he had seen the Jockey prior to meeting the other Survivors, he had given the Jockey the moniker that the other Survivors would give it by coincidence, or, most likely, these quotes resulted from a coding error. * He is referred to as "gambler" in the game's files. * Nick is the only Left 4 Dead 2 Survivor not to fall for Francis' claims of being a cop. If he did not speak to Francis at the beginning, he is quick to realize that the Left 4 Dead Survivors are not cops at the finale. * Before August, 2011, there was an in-game glitch when Nick would die; Ellis and Coach become silent, even if said Survivor is pounced by a Hunter, caught by a Jockey, etc. They'd talk again when Nick comes back to life (i.e. saved from a closet or a defibrillator used on him). * In an in-game vote, Nick came out joint-top with Ellis as people's favorite character, both getting 33% of the vote for PC players. He came in second place on the 360 version, with Ellis placing first. * One of Nick's quotes could be a possible reference to The Simpsons. Sometimes when healing a teammate, he will say, "Let Doctor Nick fix you up." In The Simpsons, Doctor Nick is a cheap doctor, often not knowing many relevant things about medical treatment. This could also be further proof towards Nick having previous experience with medical kits, as he will also sometimes say, "Just relax, I've done this before," when he uses his first aid kits early in the game. * There is an oversight in one of Nick's quotes. If a Jockey rides Rochelle, Nick will say "Ten bucks says he takes him to the right", despite Rochelle not being a man. * Another quote could be a possible reference to the short-lived TV series Arrested Development. Sometimes, if attacked by his fellow Survivors, he will say, "Are you really shooting at the guy in the $3,000 suit? COME ON!" This exclamation highly resembles numerous quotes made by Will Arnett's character, G.O.B. Bluth, where he will proclaim a random monetary value followed by "COME ON!" (i.e. "The worst that could happen is that I spill coffee all over my $3,000 suit! COME ON!") * Along with Bill, Nick has claw marks on his body; but in this case, they are on his chest. They may have been from the Infected, most likely from a Witch, or are just keeping up his appearance as a ladies' man. * Similar to Louis and Zoey, Nick is always seen standing next to Rochelle in every campaign poster (Except The Passing). * Nick is the only Survivor to be wearing the same outfit in both the E3 trailer and in-game. * In The Passing Finale, If Nick were to meet the L4D1 survivors first, before any of the other L4D2 survivors, the L4D1 survivors will NOT acknowledge him. Gallery bg_nick.jpg|A close-up photo of Nick. nick-left-4-dead-2-character-screenshot.jpg|Nick's first appearance in the E3 trailer. Cutnick.jpg|Nick as he appears in the E3 version of The Parish poster. Render-nick.png|Nick with a Frying Pan as seen in game. left 4 dead 2 conceptart bUxvq.png|Nick's in-game character picture. 445222 full.jpg|A close-up of Nick in Hard Rain. Nicks face model.jpg|Nick's face model, Taymour Ghazi. Hugh Dillon.jpg|Hugh Dillon, Nick's voice actor. nick 1 by zewtie-d2yb3ao.jpg|Nick's face. Nick Bat Render.png|Nick equipped with a Baseball Bat. References Category:The Survivors Category:Left 4 Dead 2